Many in the Nyack community came out to tackle food insecurity Tuesday by packing hundreds of bags with holiday staples.

Volunteers like Margarita Santana and Serafin Maier were ready to fill bags full of fresh, local produce as early as 8 a.m.

"We had the food delivery come, and we would help unload them and then we would have an assembly line," says Maier. It's part of Montefiore Einstein's Healthy Thanksgiving Initiative, sponsoring 10,000 pounds of food for Tuesday's drive.

"Our goal is to make sure that our families have the healthiest, fresh fruit and produce to create healthy dishes and desserts for the Thanksgiving meal," says Melissa Cebollero, from the Office of Community Affairs at Montefiore Einstein. 

By the afternoon, 1,000 bags were filled. All that was left to do was hand them off to organizations also serving their communities.

Each bag contained items like broccoli, onions and other vegetables - with cultures in mind.

"Some of these bags have yuca and plantains and things that our communities usually have during the holiday meal," says Cebollero. Aside from every bag having fresh produce, inside there was also a card with two recipes, which goes along with their mission.

"What you need to take them, to prepare them in the best and healthiest way for you and your family," says Cebollero. 

Both of the recipes included are sugar-free - to go with the emphasis of healthy Thanksgiving meals, but also National Diabetes Awareness Month.